Certification Process

The goal of the RIAEM Professional Certification Program (PCP) is to advance and maintain professional EM standards at the state and local level. Our ideal would be to have all members achieving Rhode Island Advanced Certified or IAEM CEM® status. To streamline the RIAEM certification process, the PCP is closely aligned with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Certified Emergency Manager CEM® program. We believe by closer alignment it will be easier to achieve IAEM CEM® by incrementally achieving the RIAEM PCP certifications. Each year the board will reevaluate and update the certification requirements.

Certification Levels

There are three levels of state certification: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.

Certification Standards

There are two main components of certification: General Requirements and Contributions.

General Requirements include: Experience, Reference, Education, Training and an Essay. All applications will include all five of these elements in accordance with the Certification Matrix.

Contributions include: Membership, Conference, Special Assignment, Speaking, Publication, Awards, Legislative and Other. A Basic application will include any three (3) of these elements. An Intermediate application will include any four (4) of these elements. An Advanced application will include any five (5) of these elements.

Certification/Re-certification Review:

The Professional Development Committee (PDC) will be the screening panel for all certification. Should there be no Advanced Level/CEM® members sitting on the PDC, applications will be reviewed by any combination of a minimum of two (2) current RIAEM recognized Advanced Certification Level, or current IAEM CEM® Certified Emergency Managers. Certifications will be good for the five (5) year period after certification is awarded. A fee of $20.00 will be assessed for evaluation of training portfolio and will cover any twelve (12) month period. See the Professional Certification Program Manual for recertification standards.

Application Process in Detail

Once an application package and fee has been received, the President/Board will forward the package to the Professional Development Committee Chair. There will be a maximum turn-around time of 60 days from receipt to decision. The Professional Development Committee will review for completeness, assign reviewers (if necessary), and make a recommendation to the President/Board. The President/Board will either:

  • Arrange for a proper presentation of certification at the next available RIAEM meeting or pre-arranged time, or
  • Return the package to the applicant for required information or further proof of attributes from the applicant.

Process Information

Once submitted, certification applicants should address questions or concerns to the points of contact listed on the Association website or email [email protected].

RIAEM Certification Manual (2016)